Even the white kids are precious.
By J. Jeff Toler, for Shenandoah Christian Alliance
Jesus loves the little children
All the children of the world
Red and yellow, black or white
They are precious in His sight
Jesus loves the little children of the world
For some of us at least, it’s not easy to simply read these lyrics without the tune playing in our heads. That’s because this familiar old Sunday school ditty was regularly sung in the classrooms in church and schools for decades and decades. I’m not so sure it’s all that popular anymore. And, if that’s true, there must somehow be a reason for that, and it may have something to do with racism—or what passes for racism these days. How is it some of us are infuriated that this song signals white complacency that racism is so easily conquered? Is it because Jesus really does love all the children of the world?
It’s not unheard of within Christian circles, Bible studies, Sunday school, and the like to see how tragic things have become when topics like “systemic racism” are discussed. The unavoidable assumption of systemic racism, is simply: everyone and everything is racist. Why is it we are enslaved to the popular cultural narratives are influencing clear Bible teaching? It is enough to make one wonder how much clear Bible teaching is available in some circles these days. First of all, are we really talking about racism, or are we really talking about tribalism, or ethnicity instead?
That said, what do the scriptures teach us abut racism? In short, they teach us that:
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“There is only one race—the human race. Caucasians, Africans, Asians, Indians, Arabs, and Jews are not different races. Rather, they are different ethnicities of the human race. All human beings have the same physical characteristics (with minor variations, of course). More importantly, all human beings are equally created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26-27). God loved the world so much that He sent Jesus to lay down His life for us (John 3:16). The ‘world’ obviously includes all ethnic groups.” (From gotquestions.org)
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The Bible also teaches us, “My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism” (James 2:1 NASB) Racism exists because we are sinners, living in sin, and only released from the bondage of sin through repentance and by faith in Jesus Christ. So, there is something taking place that doesn’t quite square with the gospel.
Racism is the chief tool of Marxist use today for destroying honest efforts at brotherhood among the faithful. We would be all the better for understanding that. We must be certain of our apologetics in this matter.
Wouldn’t we have to say that racism is an extreme example of partiality?
The Sin of Partiality
“But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.” (James 2:9 ESV)
Now, if we think about this for only a minute, we would have to say that, “Racism” is an extreme example of partiality—if for no other reason that a racist, by definition, would necessarily be partial to his own “race.” With that being true, an “anti-racist” would likewise also have to admit to partiality in his paradigm that all people are racist except him. Both are guilty of partiality. So, if we begin with the premise of a racist and an anti-racist both demonstrating extreme partiality, then neither party can lecture anyone using the yardstick of Christian apologetics. And yet, witness the anti-racist/anti-white supremacist (where all white people are deemed privileged) who lectures on CRT, intersectionality, and anti-racism in our public schools, corporate board rooms, employee training, and a long list of social and cultural venues. But Christian schools? Sunday school classes? Entire Christian denominations? That does not seem like a good way to battle partiality.
Voddie Baucham has said—repeatedly—for the cultural Marxist, “Everything is racist.” And, we might add, everyone is racist. At this point, every white students, no matter how innocent he or she truly may be of racism, must bear the sin of being white. They have to because they are guilty of a sin that can’t be pardoned: the color of their skin.
On Tuesday, June 15, the Southern Baptist Convention elected a new president, Ed Litton, a pastor heretofore little known outside of “racial reconciliation” activists. The SBC also passed Resolution 2 in an attempt to mollify the opponents of Resolution 9. (which we have discussed before) Nevertheless, Litton has his work cut out for him, if he wants to keep the SBC in tact. Quite possibly a split has already begun—along the “fault line” of Critical Race Theory. The impassioned convention rhetoric can be seen here, along with analysis by Jon Harris of Conversations that Matter podcast.
Once again, conservatives (in this case of course, conservative Christians) seem to be shouldering the burden of being out of step with the current cultural movement toward legitimizing CRT, and other ideologies, especially its use as “analysis” for its teaching.
A Christian worldview, with its fealty to honest truth is imperative, as just this one video will show. Politics is a word many of us are not always comfortable with in the context of Christian endeavor, but it is always present, and something with which we always contend, like it or not.
SCA, regardless of any of our denominational relationships, view the current racist tropes for what they are: Marxist constructs designed and developed to divide followers of Christ with the immutable ethnic identities of skin color. In God’s economy, all mankind are of one race. What we really are up in arms about is ethnicity—the tribal realities of mankind. And, this too, is created by God.
“For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?” (1 Corinthians 4:7 NIV)
Read Matthew 13:24-30 for insight on how the enemy infiltrates even among well-meaning believers. Then, whatever you do, take your students out of the public school system. The enemy has made a stronghold there.
